Gay marriage

Julia Tate, left, kisses her wife, Lisa McMillin, as they read results of Supreme Court decisions regarding gay rights on Wednesday, June 26, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. The justices issued two 5-4 rulings in their final session of the term. One decision wiped away part of a federal anti-gay marriage law that has kept legally married same-sex couples from receiving tax, health and pension benefits. The other was a technical legal ruling that said nothing at all about same-sex marriage, but left in place a trial court's declaration that California's Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. McMillin holds the couple's son, Luke. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Supreme Court strikes down DOMA

The Supreme Court handed down the decision on June 26, 2013 to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act which entitles legally married gay couples to claim the same federal benefits as do straight couples.